Gym equipment for the training of pole vault movements

ABSTRACT

Gym equipment, particularly for training to perform the movement from the swing step to the inverted position step in pole vaulting, comprising a supporting structure that is adapted to support two guides along which a tubular element can slide, the tubular element being adapted to be gripped by the athlete and being able to move along the guides between a starting position and a stroke limiting position defined by respective retention means.

The present invention relates to a piece of gym equipment for training in performing the movement from the swing step to the position inverted step in pole vaulting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As is known, pole vaulting is a highly technical action, which entails a sequence of movements that must be studied carefully and accurately in order to be performed very smoothly and allow the athlete to utilize to the fullest possible extent the thrust provided by the pole that enters the appropriately provided box.

Currently, there is no equipment capable of simulating the most important step of the pole-vaulting movement, i.e., the step that follows the insertion of the pole in the appropriately provided box and therefore the swing that the athlete must perform by resting against the pole in an inverted support position in order to pass above the bar arranged on the posts.

In particular, no equipment is available which allows to simulate in an extremely realistic manner the above described step of pole vaulting, i.e., there is no equipment that allows to swing the body around a pole, simulating the swing actually performed by the body during actual pole vaulting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to provide a piece of gym equipment that allows to simulate with extreme precision the important part of the pole vaulting movement that the athlete would perform while actually gripping the pole.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a piece of gym equipment that allows the athlete to exercise muscle groups that are normally used for example in pole vaulting or also in other sports activities.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a piece of gym equipment that is highly reliable, relatively simple to provide and at competitive costs.

This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a piece of gym equipment, particularly for training to perform the movement from the swing step to the inverted position step in pole vaulting, characterized in that it comprises a supporting structure that is adapted to support two guides along which a tubular element can slide, said tubular element being adapted to be gripped by the athlete and being able to move along said guides between a starting position and a stroke limiting position defined by respective retention means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the piece of gym equipment according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the piece of equipment according to the present invention in an intermediate position of its operation; and

FIG. 3 is a view of a second embodiment of the piece of gym equipment according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the figures cited above, the piece of gym equipment according to the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 100, comprises a supporting structure, constituted by four vertical posts 3, which are arranged at the four corners of a base that has for example a substantially rectangular plan shape. The posts 3 are connected to each other in pairs by means of two connecting elements 4 and are further transversely connected preferably by the connecting element 6.

In this manner, as illustrated in the figures, a sort of box-like structure is formed in which the edges are constituted by the vertical supporting elements or posts 3 and in which the upper side is formed by the transverse element 6. The posts 3 can conveniently be adjusted in height, and for this purpose it is possible to provide for example posts of the telescopic type, so as to be able to arrange all the posts at the same height, or the first pair of posts at one of the shorter sides of the rectangular base at a certain height and the second pair of posts at the opposite shorter side of the rectangular base at a different height, so as to have an inclination of the tubular elements 4, which in this case are therefore likewise telescopic so as to adapt to the variation in length that they are required to undergo.

A tubular element or bar 1 is conveniently connected to a pair of carriages 2 arranged at the tubular elements 4 and adapted to slide along them.

The tubular element 1 or bar is conveniently fixed with respect to the carriages 2 and is therefore rigidly coupled thereto, or the tubular element 1 can rotate about its own axis and therefore, despite being rigidly coupled in movement with the carriages 2 along the tubular elements 4, in this case it can rotate about its own axis and therefore move simultaneously along the tubular elements 4, being rigidly coupled to the carriages 2.

Conveniently, the bar 1 can be provided with a portion 7 that is arranged at right angles to the bar 1 and is adapted to simulate the grip that the athlete could have on a pole for pole vaulting.

Conveniently, along the tubular elements 4, which act as rails for the sliding of the carriages 2, there are retention means 5, whose position can be adjusted; said means are adapted to determine the extent of the sliding of the carriages 2 along the tubular elements 4.

Likewise, it is possible to provide lower retention means 8, so as to determine a range for the sliding of the carriages 2, and therefore of the corresponding bar 1, between the retention means 8 and 5.

The retention means can be conveniently adjusted so that depending on the requirements of the athlete the bar 1 can be kept motionless during the initial step of the exercise, so as to facilitate the athlete's search for the inverted position. The retention elements can then be moved to a mutually spaced position in order to allow the bar 1 to slide back and forth along the rails.

The movement of the retention means can therefore occur during execution of the exercise, by the intervention of an assistant, who can vary the position of the retention means when required, for example by means of cables connected to the retention means.

The possibility to adjust telescopically both the vertical posts 3 and the connecting elements 4 allows to pass from the configuration in which the connecting elements 4 are substantially parallel to the ground to a configuration in which they are inclined upwardly or downwardly, so that it is possible to vary the movement that the athlete performs with the equipment according to the invention.

Operation of the piece of gym equipment according to the invention is as follows.

The athlete grips the bar 1 and performs a swinging movement, starting from a position in which he hangs from the bar 1 to a position in which his body is supported thereon, and then, with a circular movement, moves from the hanging position to return to the supported position by performing a full circle with his body. The pair of carriages 2 causes the circular action to be moved forward and/or backward during various steps of the movement, so as to increase the breadth of the applications of this athletic action, making it more or less elliptical depending on the training requirements.

It should be noted that the forward and/or backward movement of the carriages 2 is determined by the intensity and quality of the oscillation that the athlete is able to express, and that the translational motion of the carriages 2 is proportionate to the type of impulse that he transmits, by means of his muscle actions, to the grip bar 1 and to the sliding carriages 2. The combination of the circular action, of the thrust received by the kinetic action of the movement of the carriages 2, and of appropriate muscle actions causes said carriages to arrange themselves forward or backward despite the weight of the athlete, and the athlete himself is therefore carried beyond the horizontal line of the bar 1, in order to rise in an inverted position on his arms on the bar 1 in a forward position with respect to the starting line thanks to the translational motion of the carriages 2.

The intensity of the exercise can be adjusted by means of the inclination of the guides 4 and by the retention means 5, allowing to select the possibility of advancement or retraction of the carriages and therefore of translational motion of the body of the athlete during the swing step and while searching for inverted support.

It is therefore noted that the rotation performed by the body of the athlete around the bar 1 is therefore not exclusively a circular rotation but is of the ellipsoidal type, since the rotational component about the bar 1 is combined with the translational component of the bar 1 along the guides 4, and therefore the resulting movement is an elliptical movement.

In practice it has been observed that the piece of gym equipment according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects, since it allows to perform preparatory exercises, for example for the athletic action of pole vaulting, or for other sports, and in any case in particular allows the athlete to perform physical and muscular activity, while having a perception of the spaces available above and below his initial position, both in the swing position and in the inverted support position. Moreover, it is possible to increase the muscular action required to perform these movements by increasing the action arm while the movement is in progress, thus being able to adjust its intensity.

The piece of gym equipment thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept; all the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application no. PR2004A000020, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference. 

1. A piece of gym equipment, particularly for training to perform the movement from the swing step to the inverted position step in pole vaulting, comprising a supporting structure that is adapted to support two guides along which a tubular element can slide, said tubular element being adapted to be gripped by the athlete and being able to move along said guides between a starting position and a stroke limiting position defined by respective retention means.
 2. The piece of gym equipment according to claim 1, wherein said supporting structure comprises four vertical posts, which are arranged at comers of a substantially rectangular base, said vertical posts being telescopically adjustable in height, said guides being arranged so as to connect in pairs said four vertical posts, said tubular element that can be gripped by the athlete being movable along said guides.
 3. The piece of gym equipment according to claim 2, wherein said tubular element slides along said guides by means of two carriages arranged at the ends of said tubular element.
 4. The piece of gym equipment according to claim 3, wherein said tubular element is adapted to rotate with respect to said carriages simultaneously with the translational motion performed rigidly with said carriages along said guides.
 5. The piece of gym equipment according to claim 1, wherein said tubular element that can be gripped by the athlete has a portion of a tubular element that is arranged at right angles to said tubular element and is adapted to simulate the grip of the pole on the part of an athlete.
 6. The piece of gym equipment according to claim 1, wherein said guides have an adjustable length.
 7. The piece of gym equipment according to claim 1, wherein said guides are substantially parallel to the ground.
 8. The piece of gym equipment according to claim 1, wherein said guides are substantially inclined with respect to the ground and with respect to the initial position of the athlete.
 9. The piece of gym equipment according to claim 1, wherein said guides are substantially inclined downwardly with respect to the ground and with respect to the initial position of said athlete.
 10. The piece of gym equipment according to claim 1, comprising means adapted to define the initial position of said tubular element and said stroke limiting position of said tubular element.
 11. The piece of gym equipment according to claim 10, wherein said means adapted to define an initial position and a stroke limiting position can be adjusted in terms of their position. 